Horses and Butterflies Equal Memories

2 Christmas' ago. I made each of my grand children a quilt.  I wanted to make each quilt from a favorite thing that the child liked. I started one with the butterflies for my second oldest granddaughter
 then 6 years old. She liked butterflies..she called them "flutterbies".

Well, I got the quilt top done, and it hit me. She may like butterflies,(who doesn't?) but she REALLY LOVES horses...so why am I giving her butterflies! So I set the butterfly quilt aside and made her a quilt with horses. The design was based on the Serendipity books about magical horses that I used to read to her and she loved hearing them. I am sure our reading times with those wonderful horses will be a memory she will treasure! 


This is the series of Serendipity books...these two were her fav's.



(More about this quilt later). So on the quilt rack the butterflies went.

 A year later, I needed a TV watching  blanket, so I decided to finish this WIP and use it for ME!  The butterfly quilt has a thin, fleece back (pink zebra print!) and NO batting. I wanted it to be soft and cuddly so I could wrap myself up  while watching TV so it needed to be soft and "bendable" as possible. So I used the fleece and the quilt top only and it worked out perfectly! I FMQ'ed meander stitch throughout, outlining a butterfly or two in each block. The butterfly colors are bright and shiney against the black background because the fabric has tiny little sparkles in it..and they really do sparkle!  It turned out really nice, and warm and cuddly! It measures appx 60x60". Each block is 12x12 with 2" yellow sashings and cornerstones.  




Here is the butterfly quilt for ME!

The colors of the cornerstones are matching colors of the butterflies. I had originally gotten the pink zebra fleece for the back as that zebra print in any color was  a favorite of young girls at that time. Now..it just is warm and cuddly and colorful for me!

The memory here? Since I started it for my grand daughter

..every time I use it, I think of her!

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Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!

Make Heart Block from HST's.

Our auto mechanic was going to be a daddy soon, so I decided that since he does good deals for me on my car maintenance, I would make him a quilt for his child. I waited till birth to know to make for a boy or girl. Little Brenna Jane was born!  I forgot to measure the quilt before giving it, so it is probably around 45x45". This was my first attempt at the Heart block using HST's but it worked out great, real quick and easy! HST's are my favorite piecing to make.

I made the HST's with (if memory serves!) 3,1/2x3,1/2 inch squares. This made a 12x12 (finished) block. I used white and green, purple and pink with mini, mini white dots. The hearts are made with 16 HST's of the appropriate color combination. The two bottom corner squares are a whole, white square and 4 whole colored squares are the middle of the heart. Each heart is 8 HST's, 2 whole squares in white and 4 whole squares in a color. Quick, easy and so many heart-y options!

I used 2" sashings in yellow with the blue as the cornerstone and binding. I searched (and searched) the internet for printout of the alphabet in 3 inch height. I printed out on tracing paper and cut them out  and then used as pattern to cut from the fabric, backed with iron-on interfacing and then appliqued the letters onto yellow fabric with a narrow zig-zag stitch.

The back is a yellow baby print of little ducks and lambs. I FMQ'ed with meander stitch the whole quilt. It turned out really nice.
 
Half square triangles are my favorite piece to make. I highly recommend a triangle square up ruler...My personal preference is Eleanor Burns Quilt in a Day, 6,1/2x6,1/2 inch template.  This makes squaring up the HST's so that they are all the exact same size and perfect for assembly. Just lay the line on the seam and trim! I have also found that QIAD templates are a bit less expensive than others and I prefer the black print on a clear template as opposed to yellow print on a clear template
                                                                        

Although I searched and searched ...and searched...online for 3" letters, I wish I had had a stencil to trace them from so I went after wards and bought these stencils...works great! I specifically wanted block style letters as they are easier to applique than curves and just getting back into applique, I wanted to start the easy way first. But once "back in the saddle" I got these "chubby" style. They are much cuter than the block style, don't you think? With  a stencil, you can trace directly onto the fabric. No pattern required!
And you can get your letters in any size. I chose 3" because I thought it was big enough to be seen prominently, yet small enough to not overwhelm the quilt. Plus, the longer the name, in my opinion, the smaller the letter..unless you want the name to be the main focus of the quilt. In that case, choose a larger stencil                                                                                              

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Thanks for stopping by and...keep on sewing those memories!